Climate change is a global emergency, yet this government continues to drag its feet.

It has decided to remove tariffs (Feed in Tariff and Export tariff) for renewable energy projects whilst a new fossil fuel mines. It is is actively blocking onshore wind, which is the most economical form of renewable energy.

I have added my name to a joint letter by my colleague Ivan Lewis, urging BEIS Minister Greg Clark to delay the removal of the Feed in Tariff and Export Tariffs which support small and medium scale renewable energy projects and maintaining tariffs at current levels until a suitable alternative is agreed.

I stand in solidarity with the young people who are taking a stand on this issue, like the Youth Now for Climate change and Renewable Energy group. Their actions should serve as a wakeup call to the Government that young people’s views must no longer be ignored. We need urgent action to tackle the escalating ecological crisis.

Young people are right to be worried about the kind of planet they will inherit and to demand far-reaching action. As the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has made clear, we need to act on climate change over the next 12 years or forever miss the opportunity to do anything about it. Everything the Government and we in Parliament do must therefore be judged by whether we are making progress on reducing carbon emissions and fighting the effects of climate change. This means doing things in an entirely different way, so we have a permanent low-carbon sustainable economy.

We must use all the powers of government to decarbonise our economy, while creating green jobs to benefit the entire country. For example, I support plans for a seven-fold increase in offshore wind, a doubling of onshore wind and a near tripling of solar power. This would be enough to power 19.5 million homes and generate over 400,000 jobs. I also believe we must make all new homes zero-carbon and decarbonise our transport system by investing in public transport and cycle paths to reduce our reliance on carbon-emitting vehicles.

 

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